It gives me great pleasure to greet you as you celebrate ‘Id al-Fitr, so concluding the month of Ramadan, dedicated mainly to fasting, prayer and almsgiving. It is a tradition by now that, on this occasion, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sends you a message of good wishes, together with a proposed theme for common reflection. This year, the first of my Pontificate, I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

Daily News tells us about the darkness of human behavior infesting Pakistan at this time. Literacy rate is low, violence is high, corruption and mistrust at high levels reigns, crimes and subjugation of women are tolerated, suicide bombers strike, a war on terror is being waged that kills innocent people. A saving grace is that we can choose how to respond to the news we hear each day. Recently, a young man studying in San Francisco visited the URI office shortly before his return to Pakistan. He carried back appreciation and respect for the diversity that he experienced in the US. He carried back deep love for his country and commitment to contribute to its positive change. As I said good bye I imagined him to be a courier of light (one among many) in the big darkness.

Every year, on the day of the memorial of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, which is celebrated on 11 February, the Church proposes the World Day of the Sick. This event, as the venerable John Paul II wanted, becomes a propitious occasion to reflect upon the mystery of suffering and above all to make our communities and civil society more sensitive to our sick brothers and sisters. If every man is our brother, much more must the sick, the suffering and those in need of care be, at the centre of our attention, so that none of them feels forgotten or emarginated; indeed,